How to add a license to a GitHub project?

 

Step 1: Choose a License

 

Start by selecting a license that matches how you want others to use, modify, and distribute your project. Common choices include MIT, Apache 2.0, and GPLv3.

• Visit choosealicense.com to compare popular licenses.
• Read each license’s permissions and obligations section.
• Decide whether you need a permissive (e.g., MIT) or copyleft (e.g., GPLv3) license.

 

Step 2: Create a LICENSE File

 

You need a file named LICENSE (no extension) in your project root. You can add it via the GitHub web interface or your local machine.

• Web interface:
  • Go to your repository on GitHub.
  • Click Add file > Create new file.
  • Enter LICENSE as the filename.
• Local machine:

  touch LICENSE

 

Step 3: Add License Content

 

Copy the full text of your chosen license into the LICENSE file. Replace placeholders (e.g., year, author name) as needed.

MIT License

Copyright (c) 2023 Your Name

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the “Software”), to deal
in the Software without restriction…

• On GitHub, paste it into the editor.
• Locally, open LICENSE in your text editor and save changes.

 

Step 4: Commit and Push Your Changes

 

Make sure the new LICENSE file is tracked and then push it to GitHub.

git add LICENSE
git commit -m "Add MIT license"
git push origin main

• Adjust main if your default branch has a different name.
• Use descriptive commit messages for clarity.

 

Step 5: Verify the License on GitHub

 

Once pushed, GitHub automatically recognizes standard license files.

• Go to your repository’s main page.
• Look for the license badge under the repo description.
• Click the badge or “LICENSE” link to view the full text.